Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-01-20
nrmrnrsorNcEs or KEAM.


In the Theatre Anaaal Paul Merritt
TINA writes A few years ago spent a |
winter iii the charming island OF Jersey,
and that wear ate my Christmas dinner :
Al the table of Mr.. John Lee, the whilom
friend and secretary of Edmund kean, IN
whose loving arms the great actor passed
away. Mr.. Lee, or, rather, "Old Sir
Johrr,p as he was faniliarly yet reverently
called by his many friends in the island,
was q venerable octogenarfan, who had his
many whins and crochets, his likes and
dlalikea, and his greatest dislike seemed
W be Jerseyman, who he said was "a
compound Of the Frenehman, the Irish
man and the jew, and, hang it, sir, the
Jow predoninatesn But Sir John had no
greater pleasure in the world than to don
what he called his "Kean breeches, and,
with sympathetic friend to listen TO him,
70 tell OF incident after incident in the
ADVENTUROUS life OF Edmund Kean.
All, dear old Sir John, ii is five Years
since you passed away, and If you have
Ind your souls desire in thaeshadowiand |
beyond the grave to which we arc all
iourneying, You have spent those i've
years with yonr hearts idol, Edmund
Koan.
on the Christmas day that dined with
him Sir John had those brooches Of his
on and no mistake. The bust of Edmund
Kean was q prominent feature of the
room. The pedestal presented the ap-
pearance Of an evergreen, 80 completely
was it hidden in holly and, other Christ
mas greenery, whiie laurel wreath was
hound round the classic brows of the 1ni-
mortal actor. After old Sir John had
solemnly emptied his first glass OF port,
reyerently inelining his head to the must
as he did so, to the memory Of his dead
friend, he commenced to spin yarn after
yarn from the rich storehoase OF his
memory he showed me relics, portraits,
lock Of hair and other mementoes OF
Kean, and among them letter, one
which the actor had written in 1896 q
think from Boston, in America, immedl-
aftsSxsAe had heard of Macreadys
lng engagement in that
cotnlss - qua N it the following curious
uassaae occurred: ~ shall not return
to New York until the great trsgedian has
shot his first bolt. But why on earth did
he want to leave England at all He
never cuekoldea an alderman"
Many stories, too, he told me of Kean's
charity and openhandedness TO his fellow
professionals, more especially to those
who had known him in bis lizard up
days. "but," said Sir John, 'no one
appealed to him in vain" and then, after
giving me some striking example of his
unstinted liberality, Sir John would ex-
claim, with looks of kindling pride ut tbs
craven image Of his dead hero, Such,
sir, was my friend Edmund Kean.n But
of all the stories old John told me, one
riveted my attention closest OF them all,
and outliyed in vivid distinctiyeness al
the rest, yet it can scarcely be called d
j. .aFL ufnna l1a VS. lItflE
more than a spectator of the strange event
that occurred, but l will enaeavor to give
the story as nearly as cnn remember IL
Sir Johns own words: II was in the
winter time, when Kean and were post
ing FROM one engagement TO another, thai
we arrived vsry early one Monday morn
ing (hRying to rehearae neariy 50 mlle'
beyond at noonl at small country inn
where we aliRhted to get fresh horses ant
soune hot breakfast, which we great!
needed. for the night air had been perish
a inply cold. Weentered directly into iarg
apartment, which served as pprlor, bar
kitchen, dining and general room OF ia
establishment. There was roaring tir
in the large, open range, and the kettl
was sending ont steam kissing yard 3,
yond its spout, so we soon were able
sit down to o hot and substantial mea
and can tell you we did justice to !
The landlady herself attended upon u
but while she did so we noticed that 81
constantly went across and spoke to
Young man who was sitting at the 9th
side of the fireplace. The young mi
was very shabbiiy and lightly dressed
far too lightly for such weRther--RI
such few clothes as he wore were travt
stained and wet, while he seemed almo
too i'll and too weak to move in his chat
After soothing and cheering the youI
man she would go the door, which W
standing wide open, and address her hu
band, tall, broad-shouldered man, wi
leaned against the door-post and smokt
his morning pipe. II soon became eN
dent that she was endeavoring to NAL
up some quarrel OF misunderstanding b
tween the men, but all of no ava
rr the older man seemed deaf
,..l- ssiSawi1tsei.s reasopirgs and entreati'
Ra.,, = +, ',ltnraetha S', tho ,f'alan'
prooeg Ing slt arss5rl. .eliea
landlady Il AHA aa@ sked .4c 70 Sc a
what we " master p8t%esu 14
men. The poor woman, with tears
her eyes, told us that the young man '
their son, who had been very Wild, 9
had ON several occasions got both hi
self and mis- father into trouble, and til
utlSE u lGIk hDhehGG ALNAI LtS.AA'f i+e
returned, Ill and destitute, to ask for
fathers forgiveness and with promises
repentance but the father had no be
in the latter, and had sworn that
should never, so long as he lived, b
the former, and had roughly hidden
prodiesl be off or he would with his c
hands fling him outside Of the hot
Kean babe the woman be OF good cht
telling her that he himself would try
power of persuasion on her lustal
the poor woman gratefully thanked J
but, alas the actors good iatehti
were never to be fulfilled, for the yot
man, Mt this moment hearing bis fnt
exclain If he is not gone
the time I've finished my 4
III pitch him out neck ana bee
feebly staggered to his feet and
proached our breakfast tabe took
one of Kean's travelling pistols which
actor had taken cut of his travelling
pocket and placed there on entering
inn. As the young man c6tHusgu z
'rst exailue the pistol kaan eIc!aimel
careful, rauug fellow, that is E,le 3
ger j understand all HbuIt GrGar
replied the young man have beer
officers servant and then he I'D,
giving one last lGrg look ut Lis FIJI
who was deliberately kIocEing tie n
out of his pipe against he heel Of
boot, and on whose face no sign Of rel
ing was visible, Well here goes 4
coroner's inquest and rnEy they make
father foreman Gt the jury 50 say
he quickly placed the pistol barre
his month, close behind bis front teei
an upward direction, pulled the trla
and, with scarce . gr8an, fell back
On his fathers hearth. The woman
a I. 4 Il. s -